Bronze darter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bronze darter |
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Hadropterus palmaris Bailey, 1940 |
The bronze darter (Percina palmaris) is a cool freshwater fish. It's a type of ray-finned fish called a darter. Darters are part of the same big family as perches and pikeperches.
This fish only lives in certain rivers in the United States. You can find it in the Coosa and Tallapoosa River systems. These rivers are in Georgia, Alabama, and southeastern Tennessee. Bronze darters love to eat tiny water insects and other small creatures. They lay their eggs in April and May.
Even though it's a common fish in its home, it needs help to protect its living areas. Experts say it's a "least concern" species, meaning it's not in immediate danger. But there's a plan to keep its home safe from pollution and other problems.
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What Does the Bronze Darter Look Like?
The bronze darter is a pretty small fish. It usually grows to about 3.9 inches long, which is less than the length of a typical smartphone. Its body has a special bronze color. This color comes from tiny cells in its skin. During the time when they lay eggs, male bronze darters show off an even brighter bronze color.
Where Do Bronze Darters Live?
The bronze darter lives only in the rivers that flow into Mobile Bay. These include the Coosa and Tallapoosa River systems. You can find them in parts of Georgia, Alabama, and southeastern Tennessee.
Because they only live in these specific places, it can be hard for them to recover if something bad happens. For example, dams built on these rivers can change how the water flows. This can affect the darter's home. Luckily, the bronze darter population is stable right now. This means there are plenty of them. However, cities growing bigger near their homes could cause problems in the future.
How Do Bronze Darters Live?
Bronze darters love to live in fresh, fast-moving water. They prefer water that's not too deep, usually about 30 centimeters (about 1 foot). They also like places with some plants for cover. The bottom of their river home is usually made of sand and small gravel. This is a great place for them to find food.
These darters are active during the day. They use their eyesight to find food, especially around sunrise and sunset. More than half of their diet is made up of tiny water insects called chironomids. They need to eat a lot of these insects when it's time to lay eggs.
Right now, the bronze darter population is stable. They don't have many natural enemies. Bigger fish like the Micropterus salmoides (largemouth bass) and crayfish might sometimes try to eat them. Human activities, like building dams for power, can also affect their homes.
Bronze Darter Life Cycle and Reproduction
Darters have a special way of reproducing to keep their populations strong. They use the sand and gravel at the bottom of the river to protect their eggs. The Percina family, which the bronze darter belongs to, tends to live longer and lay more eggs than some other darter families.
Both male and female bronze darters are ready to reproduce when they are one year old. At this age, they are about 3.9 inches long. Bronze darters can live for about three to four years. This means they can reproduce several times in their lives.
Female darters start to release their eggs around April 9 to May 6. This happens when the water temperature is about 17 degrees Celsius. Males start producing what they need for reproduction earlier, in mid-February, when the water is about 8 degrees Celsius. The main egg-laying period is from early May through June. A female can produce about 35 mature eggs each year. What's cool is that a bronze darter can lay eggs up to three times in one season!
However, human development near rivers can harm the darter's reproduction. For example, in the Tallapoosa River, things like pesticides, dirt washing into the river (erosion), and waste from land can make the water dirty. This can hurt the darters and their eggs.
Protecting the Bronze Darter
The bronze darter population is healthy and stable thanks to ongoing efforts. Groups like the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency help protect them. Since the bronze darter is not in danger, there aren't specific plans just for them. However, general plans to keep rivers healthy help the darters too.
One big challenge is how human development affects the darter's home. As more towns and cities grow near Mobile Bay, there's less natural space for the darters. Also, the quality of the water can suffer from pollution and erosion from private lands.
Managers and other groups are working to check things like septic tanks. This helps them see how land use affects water quality. They also gather information and support laws to protect the bronze darter's habitat in the future. Some experts believe that current plans could be even stronger. They suggest better ways to manage dams and understand the bigger picture of how human actions affect the darters. By learning from past and present efforts, we can do more to protect these amazing fish.
